Toh 310The Sūtra on Impermanence (2)

Summary

The Sūtra on Impermanence (
Anityatāsūtra) is a short discourse on the impermanence of conditioned states. The
Buddha explains that it does not matter what one’s social status is, whether one is born in a heaven, or even if one has realized awakening and is an arhat, a pratyekabuddha, or a
buddha. All that lives will eventually die. He concludes with a series of verses on impermanence exhorting the audience to understand that happiness is to bring conditioned states
to rest.

Acknowledgements

This translation was produced by Charles DiSimone and Jin Kyoung Choi. DiSimone translated the text into English from Tibetan and Sanskrit, created the Sanskrit critical
edition, and prepared the introduction. Choi checked and revised the translation, critical edition, and introduction. DiSimone and Choi produced the glossary. We wish to thank the
Royal Asiatic Society of London for kindly providing high-quality scans of the RAS Anityatāsūtra manuscript witness and Dr. Miroj Shakya of the
University of the West for kindly providing high-quality scans of the PDP Anityatāsūtra manuscript witnesses. Both of these were of immense
importance in the creation of the critical edition.

The translation was completed under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha.

Introduction

In the span of a human life, it can sometimes feel as if we have all the time in the world. As time goes by and one day bleeds into the next, the months and years pass
away. Grave concerns over the inherent dis-ease of existence are put out of mind as more pressing matters arise and we become concerned with what appear to be more immediate
goals. The Sūtra on Impermanence (
Anityatāsūtra) is a discourse that steers the listener or reader away from such
notions.

The Sūtra on Impermanence is a short work, which may be separated into fifteen sections. It begins with the very brief opening half of its
narrative frame

. This opening frame gives little information apart from indicating that the Buddha was staying at the Jeta’s Grove,
Anāthapiṇḍada’s Park, in Śrāvastī. There is no interlocutor. The Buddha addresses the monks in his presence by declaring that all conditioned states are impermanent and
therefore should be rejected

, noting that “life indeed concludes with death, has its limit in death, for there is nothing that is born that
will not die,” the refrain of the sūtra

. He then goes on to present various examples of types of beings, starting with wealthy people of
high social status who, despite their status, will ultimately die

. He continues with further examples of beings ascending in importance:
kings

, sages

, gods in the realm of desire

, gods in the form realm

, and gods in the formless realm

. All such beings will die. Moving beyond this general hierarchy
within Buddhist cosmology, the Buddha continues to the three vehicles and declares that even those who have realized awakening and are free from further births, that is, arhats

, pratyekabuddhas

, and buddhas

. Following this, the Buddha recites a series of verses on the transitory nature of life designed to inspire one to soteriological
pursuits

. The sūtra ends with the concluding half of the narrative frame, which is even more brief than the opening half, stating the delight of those who heard the Buddha’s
discourse

.

A number of Sanskrit witnesses of The Sūtra on Impermanence survive. These extant manuscripts might be classified into at least two
separate transmissions. The first is what we may call the “Potala Transmission,” which consists of two Indic manuscripts copied in Dhārikā script. These were both collected
into the Sanskrit manuscript library at the Potala Palace in Lhasa and are still housed there to this day. While these two manuscripts are unavailable for inspection,
photostats have been made that are held by the China Tibetology Research Center (CTRC) in Beijing. To call this a transmission itself is somewhat debatable. The two manuscripts, while sharing the same script, were
copied by different hands and often show divergences from one another. However, they do share similarities that are not seen in the other witnesses, which suggests the
possibility of a shared transmission. Nonetheless, it is unclear when each manuscript came into the possession of the Potala or from where they were produced. Additionally,
because of the extensive use of the Dhārikā script over a number of centuries, it is not possible to provide a satisfactory estimate for the dates of these two manuscripts.
Both witnesses appear as component works in larger multitext sūtra manuscripts, but the exact nature of these two distinct multitext manuscripts remains unclear. They are
without known titles and are not known to have circulated in South Asia or beyond, apart from the witnesses within the Potala Palace Collection.

The second extant transmission of The Sūtra on Impermanence may be referred to as the “Nepalese Transmission.” This transmission consists
of a number of manuscripts that have been uncovered in collections throughout the Kathmandu Valley and are now spread throughout collections in Nepal, Europe, and Japan. There
are seven individual witnesses known to scholars: two witnesses in the National Archives of Nepal, one witness in a private collection in Lalitpur (Patan) in Nepal, one witness in the collection of the Société Asiatique in Paris, one witness in the collection of the Royal Asiatic Society in London, one witness in the collection of the Tōyō Bunko in
Tokyo, and one witness in the collection of the Tokyo University Library. All of the known manuscript
witnesses of The Sūtra on Impermanence in the Nepalese Transmission are rather late, dating from the eighteenth to the nineteenth century ce. All of the manuscripts we have examined were copied in variations of the so-called Nepalese akṣaras (Newari script, Pracalit, etc.) and this is doubtlessly also the case for the manuscripts that have not been checked. Without fail, each witness within
the Nepalese Transmission is found as a component work within larger Dhāraṇīsaṃgraha manuscripts. The classification of The Sūtra on Impermanence
as a component work of the Dhāraṇīsaṃgraha appears to have been a Nepalese innovation, as the earlier Sanskrit witnesses from the Potala Transmission and the Tibetan and
Chinese translations do not classify the sūtra as having any association with dhāraṇī. It may be that the repetition of the sūtra’s refrain or the verses were the factors that
caused this text to be associated with dhāraṇī collections. However, it is perhaps more likely that The Sūtra on Impermanence became associated
with the Dhāraṇīsaṃgraha due in part to its short length. Dhāraṇīsaṃgraha collections are made up of shorter texts, and short sūtras are included as well as dhāraṇī texts. It
should be noted that while The Sūtra on Impermanence only appears as a component work within Dhāraṇīsaṃgraha manuscripts, it is not included in all
Dhāraṇīsaṃgraha manuscripts, the traditional contents of which appear to have been somewhat fluid. Of particular note within the Nepalese Transmission are the witnesses from the
Royal Asiatic Society (RAS) and the Tokyo University Library (TUL). It is certain that these two manuscripts were produced by the same scribal tradition. The TUL witness was
either copied from the RAS witness or, probably more likely, was copied from an intermediate witness that is no longer extant.

The translation of The Sūtra on Impermanence within the Degé Kangyur contains only a very brief colophon mirroring the Sanskrit colophon.
The colophon simply states that the sūtra has ended, providing no details on the translation. This brief colophon is seen in the majority of witnesses to The Sūtra on Impermanence within the Tibetan Kangyurs.
However, there are three witnesses with expanded colophons: two witnesses in the Langdo (lang mdo) collection and one in the Namgyal
Kangyur. These colophons state that The Sūtra on Impermanence was translated by the team of Kamalagupta (tenth–eleventh century) and Rinchen Sangpo
(958–1055), who were frequent collaborators. Kamalagupta, a Kashmiri paṇḍita, was an immigrant to Tibet, and Rinchen Sangpo was a native Tibetan translator. This places the
date of the translation within the tenth and eleventh centuries in the beginning of the second transmission of Tibetan translations. Beyond these colophons there are no major
variations among the Tibetan versions of The Sūtra on Impermanence within the various Kangyurs. The Sūtra on
Impermanence is always included in the General Sūtra Section in all Kangyurs. There is another work titled The Sūtra on Impermanence
(1) (Anityatāsūtra), Toh 309, appearing directly before Toh 310, the sūtra translated here. While these two works share a title and theme, their content differs, and they
are each unique works. It should be noted, however, that the opening and concluding narrative frame of Toh 309 is nearly the same as that of Toh 310. This may suggest that the
two works developed in connection with one another and are possibly parallels of the same work from different Buddhist textual traditions.

There is one Chinese translation by Fatian 法天 (aka Dharmadeva), Foshuo zhuxing youwei jing
佛說諸行有為經, completed in 984 ce and found in the Collected Sūtras (Jingji bu 經集部) section of
the Taishō Tripiṭaka. The content of this Chinese translation generally agrees with that of the Sanskrit and Tibetan. However, as is so often the case with Chinese
translations, sections are sometimes abbreviated and blurred together.

There are no direct Pali equivalents to The Sūtra on Impermanence. There are multiple works with the same name, Aniccasutta, found in the Saṃyuttanikāya, but none of these are directly related to the sūtra translated here. While there are no direct equivalents in the Pali
canon, there are multiple instances of passages and phrases that directly parallel the content of The Sūtra on Impermanence, often but not always
in the Saṃyuttanikāya.

There are also a number of parallel passages to be found within surviving Sanskrit Buddhist works beyond the verses shared with the Udānavarga, which themselves appear across a spectrum of texts. That the present sūtra is not found in Pali, but that its modular pieces may be
found in Pali works, may be telling. This, taken with the fact that the Chinese translation is rather late and is in the Collected Sūtras section of the Taishō, not associated
with any āgama, may suggest that The Sūtra on Impermanence belongs to an āgama that was not translated in its entirety into Chinese. This would
possibly also suggest a (Mūla-)Sarvāstivāda āgama affiliation for this work. This may be bolstered, too, by the fact that Kamalagupta, the primary translator of the work into
Tibetan, was from Kashmir, where the Mūlasarvāstivāda tradition would have been dominant during his lifetime. Another source pointing toward a (Mūla-)Sarvāstivāda affiliation
is the inclusion of the verses found in the Udānavarga, which was likely a Sarvāstivāda work. Nonetheless, we should not conclude any doctrinal affiliation with certainty. It is also possible, although less plausible, that this work was
translated later because it was composed later and was not included in any āgama/nikāya collection.

The primary source texts used for this English translation were the Tibetan translation in the Degé Kangyur and a critical edition of the Sanskrit created from the
witnesses of the Royal Asiatic Society, Tokyo University Library, and private collection of Mr. Padmajyoti Dhakhwa of Patan. The Tibetan of the Degé and the Sanskrit are
generally consistent but differences between the two are noted when encountered. While there are no major differences between the Tibetan and Sanskrit, when differing readings
are noted, translations of more substantial differences are provided in the notes. There is some disagreement found between the Tibetan and the Sanskrit on the
number of verses at the end of the sūtra, with two recorded in the Degé and four in the Sanskrit, sharing one verse between them. All verses from both the Tibetan and Sanskrit
are translated, totaling five verses.

The Sanskrit edition was created for this translation and may be found in the appendices. In addition to the RAS, TUL, and PDP manuscripts that make up the edition,
variant readings from the first of the two CTRC manuscripts are also always noted. The edition follows the general orthography of the three Sanskrit manuscript witnesses.
Therefore, some variations in the spelling of words are not emended to conform to classical Sanskrit standards. For example, gemination is always reported. Sandhi is not always standardized because the formations used would not have been considered incorrect when the manuscripts were
copied, and they can provide important information about inherent punctuation of statements.

In addition to the Degé and Sanskrit critical edition, multiple Kangyurs were consulted. The Degé was checked throughout against the Peking Kangyur with substantial
variants, which do not occur often, noted when present. The Choné and Stok Palace versions of the Tibetan were also consulted. The Chinese translation was also consulted
throughout. Variants between the Chinese and the Tibetan and Sanskrit are occasionally noted. Instances where something appears in the Tibetan but not the Sanskrit and/or
Chinese are always noted.

The Translation

The Sūtra on Impermanence (2)

Homage to all buddhas and bodhisattvas.

Thus did I hear at one time. The Blessed One was staying in Śrāvastī, in Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍada’s Park, along with a great community of monks numbering 1,250.

Then, the Blessed One addressed those monks: “Monks, all conditioned states are impermanent, uncertain, unreliable, subject to change. This being the case, monks, one
should become disgusted with, indifferent to, not fixated upon, and liberated from all conditioned
states.

“For all beings, all spirits, and all that draw breath, life indeed concludes with death, has its limit in death, for there is nothing [PDP.223.a] that is born that will not die.

“Monks, those wealthy householder families, wealthy brahmin families, and wealthy warrior families
who are of great wealth, of great affluence, having an abundance of jewels, rubies, pearls, beryl, conch shells, crystal, coral, [RAS.60.b] gold, silver, and luxuries; owning
an abundance of treasuries and storerooms of money and grain; [TUL.46.b] having an abundance of male slaves, female slaves, servants, and laborers; and having an abundance of friends, counselors, relations, and relatives—even for them life concludes with death, has its limit in death, for there is nothing that is born that will not die.

“Monks, those consecrated kings and warriors, who have obtained strength and power through sovereignty over the people, who dwell having conquered the great circumference of the Earth—even for
them life concludes with death, has its limit in death, for there is nothing that is born that will not die.

“Monks, those sages who are forest hermits, whose livelihood consists of fallen fruit, who eat fallen fruit, who are nourished by fallen fruit—even for them life concludes
with death, has its limit in death, for there is nothing that is born that will not die.

“Monks, those gods of the realm of desire —the gods of the Heaven of the Four Great Kings, the gods of the Heaven of the
Thirty-Three, the gods of Yāma Heaven, the gods of Tuṣita Heaven, the gods of the Heaven of Delightful Emanations, and the gods of the Heaven of Control of Enjoyments Created
by Others—even for them life concludes with death, has its limit in death, for there is nothing that is born that will not die.

“Monks, those gods of the form realm —those who have obtained the first dhyāna, that is, those who attend Brahmā, those stationed before Brahmā, those in the assembly of
Brahmā, and those Great Brahmā gods; [RAS.61.a] those who have obtained the second dhyāna, that is,
those of limited radiance, those of immeasurable radiance, and those who are radiant ones; those who have
obtained the third dhyāna, that is, those of limited splendor, those of immeasurable splendor, and those of complete splendor; those who have obtained the fourth dhyāna, that
is, those who are unclouded, those with abundant merit, those with great fruition, and those who have a nature that is free from perception; and those gods [of the Pure Abodes (śuddhāvāsa)], that is, those who are relatively not great,
those without trouble, those of excellent appearance, those of excellent observation, and those who are highest—even for them [TUL.47.a]
life concludes with death, has its limit in death, for there is nothing that is born that will not die.

“Monks, those gods of the formless realm —those gods belonging to the sphere of the infinity of space, those belonging to the sphere of the infinity of consciousness, those
belonging to the sphere of nothingness, those belonging to the sphere of neither perception nor nonperception; even for them life concludes with death, has its limit in death,
for there is nothing that is born that will not die. These are the three worlds.

“Monks, those arhats, whose negative influences have been exhausted, who have fulfilled their duty,
who have done what is to be done, who have laid aside their burdens, who have reached their own goals, those for whom the fetters of existence have been exhausted, whose minds
have been completely liberated by proper, highest knowledge, those who have obtained the excellent perfection consisting of complete mastery of thought—even for them their
pleasing bodies are subject to being given up.

“Monks, those pratyekabuddhas living alone like a rhinoceros, who
live in crowds, who master themselves alone, who pacify themselves alone, who
enter parinirvāṇa themselves alone—even for them their pleasing bodies are subject to being given up. [RAS.61.b]

“Monks, those tathāgatas, arhats,
complete and perfect buddhas, mighty with the ten powers, worthy of admiration, roaring a true lion’s roar, confident in the four confidences—confidence in ascending dharmas,
confidence in all their teaching, confidence in comprehending the path to nirvāṇa, and confidence in their effort for the knowledge of exhausting negative influences —their bodies strong-limbed and firm like Nārāyaṇa—even for them their pleasing bodies are subject to being given up.

“Monks, just as pots made by potters, [PDP.223.b] whether unfired or fired, are destroyed, conclude in destruction, it is exactly so, monks,
for all beings, all spirits, and all that draw breath—[TUL.47.b] life indeed concludes with death, has its limit in death, for there is nothing that is born that will not
die.”

So said the Blessed One. After the Sugata said this, the Teacher spoke further:

“Alas, conditioned states are impermanent, subject to arising and decaying.

Having arisen, they are sure to be destroyed; happiness is to bring them to rest. [1]

“What joy, what pleasure is there in a conflagration?

You dwell having entered into darkness—why do you not seek for a lamp? [2]

“Just as clay pots that are made by the potter

All end in destruction, so it is with the lives of beings. [3]

“Just as ripe fruit is forever in danger of falling,

So it is with beings born of conditioned states—always afraid of death. [4]

“All that is accumulated is exhausted in the end; what is elevated falls in the end.

Unions end in separation; [RAS.62.a] life indeed concludes with death.” [5]

So said the Blessed One. The assembly was delighted, and those monks rejoiced at the speech of the Blessed One.

Here ends the noble “Sūtra on Impermanence.”

Notes

Abbreviations

BHSD
Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Grammar and Dictionary. (Edgerton, Franklin).

CTRC
Manuscript witness of the Anityatāsūtra held in the collection of the China Tibetology Research Center.

DN
Dīgha-nikāya (Rhys Davids, T. W., and J. Estlin Carpenter).

MPS
Mahāparinirvāṇasūtra (Waldschmidt, Ernst).

Ms.
Manuscript.

Mvy
Mahāvyutpatti (Ishihama, Yumiko and Yoichi Fukida).

MW
Monier-Williams’s Sanskrit-English dictionary.

NidSa
Nidānasaṃyukta (Tripāṭhī, Chandrabhāl).

PTS
Pali Text Society, London.

PTSD
The Pali Text Society’s Pali-English Dictionary (Rhys Davids, T .W. and William Stede).

SN
Saṃyutta-nikāya (Feer, Léon).

ŚPrSū
Śakrapraśnasūtra (Waldschmidt, Ernst).

SWTF
Sanskrit-Wörterbuch der buddhistischen Texte aus den Turfan-Funden. (Waldschmidt, Ernst, et al).

TUL
Manuscript witness of the Anityatāsūtra held in the collection of the Tokyo University Library, Tokyo

UV
Udānavarga (Bernhard, Franz).

Bibliography

Primary Sources

Works Referred To in the Introduction, Notes, etc.

Sanskrit Texts

Appendix A

A Critical Edition of the Anityatāsūtra Based on Three Sanskrit Manuscripts

[RAS60a2] [TUL46a3] [PDP222b9] || [PDP222b10] oṃ namaḥ sarvajñā[RAS60a3]ya ||

evam mayā [TUL46a4] śrutam; ekasmin samaye bhagavān śrāvastyāṃ viharati sma ||
jetavane ’nāthapiṇḍa‹da›syārāme mahatā bhikṣusaṃghena sārddhan ‹ardha›trayodaśabhir bhikṣuśataiḥ ||

tatra khalu bha[RAS60a4]gavān bhikṣūn āmantrayate [TUL46a5] sma ||
anityā bhikṣavaḥ sarva[PDP222b11]saṃskārā adhruvā anāśvāsikā
vipariṇāmadharmānaḥ  || yad yāvad bhikṣavaḥ sarvebhyaḥ saṃskārebhyo ’laṃ nirve[RAS60a5]tum alaṃ viraktum alaṃ vimoktuṃ ||

sarveṣām satvā[TUL46a6]nāṃ sarveṣāṃ bhūtānāṃ sarveṣāṃ prāṇinām āmaraṇāntaṃ hi jīvita‹ṃ› maraṇaparyavasānaṃ nāsti [PDP223a1] jātasyāmaraṇaṃ  ||

ye ‹’›pi te [TUL46b2] bhikṣavaḥ rājānaḥ kṣatriyāś ca
[PDP223a3] mūrddhābhiṣiktā jānapadaiśvaryasthāmavīryam anuprāptā ma[RASA60b3]hāntaṃ pṛthvīmaṇḍalam abhinirjityāvasanti ‹|› teṣām api maraṇāntaṃ hi jīvitaṃ
maraṇaparyava[TUL46b3]sānaṃ nāsti jātasyāmaraṇaṃ ||

ye ’pi te bhikṣava ṛṣayo vānaprasthāḥ pramu[RAS60b4]ktaphalāhārā[PDP223a4]ḥ pramuktaphalabhojinaḥ pramuktaphalena yāpa‹ya›nti ‹|› teṣām api maraṇāntaṃ hi jīvitaṃ maraṇaparya[TUL46b4]vasānaṃ nāsti jātasyāmaraṇaṃ ||

ye ’pi te bhikṣavaḥ kā[RAS60b5]māvacarā devāś
cāturmahārājikā devās trayastriṃśā devā yāmā devās tuṣitā devā [PDP223a5] nirmāṇaratayo devāḥ
paranirmitava[TUL46b5]śavarttino devās; teṣām api maraṇāntaṃ hi jī[RAS60b6]vita‹ṃ› maraṇaparyavasānaṃ nāsti
jātasyāmaraṇaṃ ||

ye ‹’›pi te bhikṣavo rūpiṇo devāḥ prathamadhyānalābhino brahmakāyikā brahmapurohi[TUL46b6]tā
brahmapārṣadyā [PDP223a6] mahābrahmā[RAS61a1]ṇaḥ ‹|› dvitīyadhyānalābhinaḥ parīttā{śu}bhā apramāṇā{śu}bhā ābhāsvarās; tṛtīyadhyānalābhinaḥ
parīttaśubhā apramāṇaśubhāḥ
[TUL46b7] śubhakṛtsnā‹ś›; caturthadhyānalābhino ’nabhrakāḥ pu[RAS61a2]ṇyaprasavā bṛhatphalā asaṃjñisatvā abṛhā atapāḥ
[PDP223a7] sudṛśāḥ sudarśanā akaniṣṭhāś ca devās; teṣām api [TUL47a1] maraṇāntaṃ hi jīvitaṃ maraṇaparyavasānaṃ nāsti jātasyāma[RAS61a3]raṇaṃ ||

ye ‹’›pi te bhikṣavo ’rūpiṇo devā ākāśānantyāyatanopagā vijñānānantyāyatanopagā
ākiñcanyāya[PDP223a8]tanopagā [TUL47a2] naivasaṃjñānāsaṃjñāyatanopagāś ca devāś ca ‹|› [RAS61a4]
teṣām api maraṇāntaṃ hi jīvitaṃ maraṇaparyavasānaṃ nāsti jātasyāmaraṇaṃ || traidhātukam idaṃ  ||

ye ’pi te bhikṣavo ’rhantaḥ kṣīṇāśravā [TUL47a3] kṛtakṛtyāḥ kṛtakaraṇīyā apahṛ[RAS61a5]tabhārā [PDP223a9]
anuprāptasvakārthāḥ parikṣīṇabhavasaṃyojanāḥ samyagājñāsuvimuktacittāḥ sarvacetovaśiparamapāramitāprāptās; teṣām api kāyā [TUL47a4] nikṣepaṇadharmāḥ  ||

ye ‹’›pi te bhikṣavas tathāgatā arhantaḥ samyaksaṃbuddhā daśabalabalinaḥ udārārṣabhāḥ samyaksiṃhanādanādinaś caturvaiśāradya‹viśaradā› dharmā[PDP223a11]rohaṇavaiśāradyaṃ  |
sarva[TUL47a6]dharma[RAS61b2]deśanāvaiśāradyaṃ  | nirvāṇamārgāvatāraṇavaiśāradyaṃ  | āśravajñānaprahāṇavaiśāradyaṃ  | {viśadā}dṛḍhanārāyaṇasaṃhatakāyās; teṣām apy ayam kāyo
nikṣepaṇadharmaḥ  ||

tadya[TUL47a7]thāpi [RAS61b3] nāma bhikṣavaḥ kumbhakāra[PDP223b1]kṛtāni bhāṇḍāni āmāni vā pakvāni vā bhedanaparyantāni
bhedanaparyavasānāny; evam eva bhikṣavaḥ sarveṣāṃ satvānāṃ sarveṣāṃ bhūtānāṃ sarveṣāṃ prā[RAS61b4]ṇi[TUL47b1]nāṃ maraṇāntaṃ hi jīvitaṃ maraṇaparyavasānaṃ nāsti jātasyāmaraṇaṃ  ||

idam avoca[PDP223b2]d bhagavān; idam uktvā sugato hy athāpara‹ṃ› uvāca śāstā ||

anityā bata saṃskārā u[RAS61b5]tpādavyayadharmi[TUL47b2]ṇaḥ  |

utpadya hi nirudhyante teṣāṃ vyupaśamaḥ sukhaṃ ||

[PDP223b3] yathā [RAS61b6] phalānāṃ pakvānāṃ śaśvat patanato bha[TUL47b3]yaṃ  |
tathā saṃskārajāḥ satvānāṃ nityaṃ maraṇato bhayaṃ  ||

idam avoca[TUL47b4]d bhagavān āttamanā[PDP223b4]s te ca bhikṣavas te ca parṣado bhagavato bhāṣitam abhyanandan;

ity āryānityatāsūtraṃ samāptaṃ  ||

Appendix B

Transliteration of the RAS Manuscript

Anityatāsūtra. Manuscript witness held in the collection of the Royal Asiatic Society, London: Hodgson Collection, Ms. no. 55 (H. 147),
folios 60a2–62a1. Yellow paper, 240 leaves, 6 lines, 39.0 x 10.5 cm, Nepalese akṣaras, dated 1791 ce.

60a2 2 || oṃ namaḥ sarvajñā

3 ya || evam mayā śrutam ekasmi samaye bhagavāṃ śrāvastyāṃ viharati sma jetavane ’nāthapiṇḍasyārāme
mahatā bhikṣusaṃghena sārddha trayodaśabhir bhikṣuśataiḥ tatra khalu bha

4 gavān bhikṣūn āmantrayate sma || anitā bhikṣavaḥ sarvasaskārā adhruvā anāsvāsikā
viparināmadharmānaḥ || yad yāvad bhikṣavaḥ sarvvebhyaḥ saṃskārebhyo ’laṃ nirva=

5 tum alaṃ viraktam alam vimoktuṃ | sarveṣām satvānāṃ sarveṣāṃ bhūtānāṃ sarveṣāṃ prāṇinām āmaranāntaṃ
hi jivita maraṇaparyavasānaṃ nāsti jātasyāmaraṇaṃ ra ye pi te bhikṣa

6 vo gṛhapatayo mahāsālakulā brāhmaṇamahāsālakulā kṣatriyo mahāsākulā āsāṃ mahādhanā mahābhogāḥ prabhūtamaṇimā
niṣkamuktāvaiḍūryyaśaṃkhaśilāpravā=

60b 1 lajātarūparajatavittopakaraṇāḥ prabhūtadhanadhānyakoṣṭhakoṣṭhāgārasaṃnicayāḥ prabhūtadāsidāsakarmakarapauraṣeyāḥ
prabhūtamitrāmātyajñātisārohitās te

2 ṣām api maraṇāntaṃ jīvitaṃ maraṇaparyavasānaṃ nāsti jātasyāmaraṇaṃ | ye pi te bhikṣavaḥ rājānaḥ kṣatriyāś ca mūrddhnābhiṣiktā jānapadaiśvaryāsthāmavīryam
anuprāptā ma

3 hāntaṃ pṛthvīmaṇḍalam abhinirjityāvasanti teṣām api maraṇāntaṃ hi jīvitaṃ maraṇaparyavasānaṃ nāsti jātasyāmaraṇaṃ | ye ’pi te bhikṣava ṛṣayo vānaprasthāḥ
pramu=

4 ktaphalāhārāḥ pramuktaphalabhojinaḥ pramuktaphalena yāpanti teṣām api maraṇāntaṃ hi jivitaṃ maraṇaparyavaṃsānaṃ nāsti jātasyāmaraṇaṃ | ye ’pi te bhikṣavaḥ
kā

5 māvacarā devāś cātumahārājikā devās trayatriṃsā devā yāmā devās tuṣitā devā nirmānaratayo devāḥ paranirmitavaśavarttino devās teṣām api maraṇāntaṃ hi jī

6 vita maraṇaparyavasānaṃ nāsti jātasyāmaraṇaṃ | ye pi te bhikṣavo rūpino devāḥ
prathamadhyānalābhino brahmakāyikā brahmapurohitā brahmapārṣadyā mahābrahmā{{dvi}}

61a 1 ṇā dvitīyadhyānalābhināḥ paritaśubhā apramānaśubhā ābhāsvarās tṛtīyadhyānalābhinaḥ paritaśubhā apramānaśubhāḥ śubhakṛtsnā caturdhyānalābhino
’nabhrakāḥ pu=

2 ṇyaprasavā bṛhatphalā asaśisatvābṛhā atapāḥ sudarśāḥ sudarśaṇā akaniṣṭāś ca devās teṣām api maraṇāntaṃ hi jīvitaṃ maraṇaparyavasānaṃ nāsti
jātasyāma=

3 raṇaṃ | ye pi te bhikṣavo ’rūpino devā ākāśānaṃtyāyatanopagā vijñānānaṃtyāyatanopagā ākiṃcityāyatanopagā naivasaṃjñānāsaṃjñāyatanopagāś ca devāś
ca

4 teṣām api maraṇāntaṃ hi jīvitaṃ maraṇaparyavasānaṃ nāsti jātasyāmaraṇaṃ | traidhātukam idaṃ || ye pi te bhikṣavo ’rhantaḥ kṣīṇāśravā kṛtakṛtyāḥ kṛtakaraṇīyā
apahṛ

5 tabhārā ānuprā‹‹pta››svakārthāḥ parikṣīṇabhavasaṃyojanāḥ samyagājñāsuvimuktacittāḥ sarvacetovasiparamapāramitāprāptās teṣāṃ api kāyā
nikṣepanadharmāḥ |

6 ye pi te bhikṣavaḥ pratyakakabuddhāḥ khaḍgaviṣāṇakalpā ekam ātmāna damanti ekam ātmānaṃ samayanti ekam ātmānaṃ parinivāpayanti teṣāṃ apy ayaṃ kāyo
nikṣepaṇa

61b 1 dharmaḥ | ye pi te bhikṣavas tathāgatā arhantaḥ samyaksambuddhā daśabalabalinaḥ udārārṣabhāḥ samyaksiṃhanādanādinaś catuvaiśāradya
dharmārohaṇāvaiśāradyaṃ | sarvadharma

2 deśanāvaiśāradyaṃ | nirvāṇamārgavatāraṇavaiśāradyaṃ | āśravajñānaprahāṇavaiśāradyaṃ | viśadādṛḍhanārāyanasaṃhatakāyāś teṣāṃ apy ayaṃ kāyo
nikṣepanadharmaḥ | tadyathāpi

3 nāma bhikṣavaḥ kumbhākārakṛtāni bhāṇḍā āmāni vā pakkāni vā bhedanaparyyantāni bhedanaparyavaśāny evam eva bhikṣavaḥ sarveṣāṃ satvānāṃ sarveṣāṃ bhūtāṇāṃ
sarveṣāṃ prā=

4 ṇināṃ maraṇāntaṃ hi jīvitaṃ maraṇaparyavasānaṃ nāsti jātasyāmaraṇaṃ || idam avocad bhagavān idam uktyo sugato hy athāparā ’vāca śāstā || anityā bata
saṃskārā u

5 tpādavyayadhārminaḥ | utpadya hi nirūdhyante teṣāṃ vyupasamaḥ sukhaṃ || yathā hi kumbhakāreṇa mṛttikābhājanaṃ kṛtaṃ | sarvam bhedanapartantaṃ satvānāṃ
jivitaṃ tathā || yathā =

6 phalānāṃ pakkānāṃ śaśva‹‹taṃ›› patanato bhayaṃ | tathā saskārājāḥ satvā‹‹nāṃ›› nityaṃ maraṇato bhāyaṃ || sarvve kṣayāntā nicayāḥ patanāntā samucchrayāḥ |
saṃyogāś ca viyogāntā ma

62a 1 raṇāntaṃ hi jīvitaṃ || || idam avocad bhagavānn ātamanās te ca bhikṣavas te ca parṣado
bhgavato bhāṣitam abhyanandan ity āryānityatāsūtraṃ samāptaṃ || ○ || ※ ||

Appendix C

Transliteration of the TUL Manuscript

Anityatāsūtra. Manuscript witness held in the collection of the Tokyo University Library, Tokyo. Kawaguchu and Takakusu Collection,
Ms. 416 No. 8, folios 46a3–47b4. White paper, 117 leaves, 7 lines, 38.4 x 10.6 cm, Nepalese akṣaras, undated (~nineteenth
century).

46a3 || oṃ namaḥ sarvajñāya || evam mayā

4 śrutam, ekasmin samaya bhagavān śrāvastyāṃ viharati sma | jetavane nāthapiṇḍasyārāme mahatā bhikṣusaṃghena sārddhan trayodaśabhir bhikṣuśataiḥ tatra khalu
bhagavān* bhikṣūnām āmantrayate

5 sma | anitā bhikṣavaḥ sarvasaṃskārā adhruvā anāsvāsikā vipariṇāmadharmānaḥ | yad yāvad bhikṣavaḥ sarvebhyaḥ saṃskārebhya laṃ nirvatum alaṃ viraktam alaṃ
vimoktuṃ | sarveṣām satvā

6 nāṃ sarveṣāṃ bhūtānāṃ sarveṣāṃ prāṇinām āmaraṇanāṃtaṃ hi jīvita maraṇaparyavasānaṃ nāsti tasyāmaraṇaṃ ra ye pi te bhikṣavo gṛhapatayo mahāsālakulā
brāhmaṇamahāsāla

7 kulā kṣatriyo mahāsālakulā āsāṃ mahādhanā mahābhogāḥ prabhūtamaṇimā niṣkamuktāvaiḍūryyaśaṃkhasilāpravālajātavittopakaraṇāḥ
prabhūtadhanadhānyakoṣṭhakoṣṭhāṃ

46b1 gārasanniccayāḥ prabhūtadāsidāsakarmakarapauraṣeyāḥ prabhūtamitrāmātyajñātisālohitās teṣām api maraṇāṃtaṃ jīvitaṃ maraṇaparyavasānaṃ nāsti
jātasyāmaraṇaṃ | ye pi te

2 bhikṣavaḥ rājānaḥ kṣatriyāś ca mūrddhnābhiṣiktā jānapadaiśvaryāsthāmaviryam anuprāptā mahāntaṃ pṛthvīmaṇḍalam abhinirjityāvasanti teṣām api maraṇāntaṃ hi
jīvitaṃ maraṇaparyava=

3 sānaṃ nāsti jātasyāmaraṇaṃ | ye pi te bhikṣava ṛṣayo vānapasthāḥ pramuktaphalāhārāḥ pramuktaphale bhojinaḥ pramuktaphalena yāpanti teṣām api maraṇāntaṃ hi
jīvitaṃ maraṇaparyaṃ

4 vasānaṃ nāsti jātasyāmaraṇaṃ || ye pi te bhikṣavaḥ kāmāvacarā devāś cātumahārājikā devās traye triṃśā devā yāmā devās tuṣitā devā nirmāṇaratayo devāḥ
paranirmitava=

5 śavarttino devās teṣām api maraṇāṃtaṃ hi jivita maraṇaparyavasānaṃ nāsti jātasyāmaraṇaṃ | ye pe te bhikṣavo rūpino devāḥ prathamadhyānarābhino brāhmakāyikā
brahmapurohi

6 tā brahmapārṣadhyā mahābra[hma]nā dvitiyadhyānalābhinaḥ paritaśubhā apramānaśubhā ābhāsvarās tṛtīyadhyānalābhinaḥ paritaśubhā apranaśubhā ābhāsvarās
tṛtīyadhyanarābhinaḥ

7 paritaśubhā apramānaśubhāḥ śubhakṛtsnā caturthadhyānalābhino nabhrakāḥ punyaprasavā bṛhat*phalā asaṃgītvā abṛhātapāḥ sudarśāḥ sudarśanā akaniṣṭāś ca devās
teṣāṃ api

47a1 maraṇāntaṃ hi jīvitaṃ maraṇaparyavasānaṃ nāsti jātasyāmaraṇaṃ | ye pi te bhikṣavo rūpino devā ākāśānaṃ*tyāyatanopagā vijñānānaṃtyāyatanopagā
ākiṃciṃtyāyatanopagā

2 naivasaṃjñānām asaṃjñāyatanopagāś ca devāś ca teṣām api maraṇāṃtaṃ hi jīvita maraṇaparyavasānaṃ nāsti jātasyāmaraṇaṃ | traidhātukam idaṃ ye pi te bhikṣavo
rhantaḥ kṣīṇāśravā

3 kṛtakṛtyāḥ kṛtakaraṇīyā apahitabhārā anuprāsvakārthāḥ parikṣīnabhavasaṃyojanāḥ samyagājñāsuvimuktacittāḥ sarvacetovasiparamapāramitāprāptā‹‹s teṣā››m
api kāyā

4 nikṣapadharmāḥ || ye pi te bhikṣavaḥ pratyekabuddhāḥ khaḍgaviṣāṇakalpā ekam ātmā damaṃti ekam ātmānaṃ samayanti ekam ātmānaṃ parinirvāpayanti teṣāṃ apy ayaṃ
kāyo nikṣa

5 panadharmaḥ | ye pi te bhikṣavas tathāgatā arhantaḥ samyaskaṃbuddhā daśabalabalinaḥ udārāṣabhāḥ samyak*siṃhanādanādinaś catuvaiśāradya
dharmārohanavaiśāradyaṃ | sarvadha

6 dharmadyasanāvaiśāradyaṃ | nirvāṇamārgavatāraṇavaiśāradyaṃ || āśravajñānaprahāṇavaiśāradyaṃ | viśadhādṛḍhanārāyaṇasaṃhatakāyās teṣāṃ apy ayaṃ kāyo
nikṣapanadharmaḥ || tadya

7 thāpi nāma bhikṣavaḥ kuṃbhākārakṛtāni bhāṇḍā āmāni vā bakkāni vā bhedanaparyantāni bhedanaparyavaśany avam eva bhikṣavaḥ sarveṣāṃ satvānāṃ sarveṣāṃ
bhūtānāṃ sarveṣāṃ prāṇī

47b1 nā amarānāṃ hi jīvitaṃ maraṇaparyavasānaṃ nāsti jātasyāmaraṇaṃ || idaṃm avocad bhagavān idam uktyo sugato hy athāparāvāca śāstā || anityā bata
saṃskārā utpādavyadhārmi

2 naḥ | utpadya hi nirudhyante teṣāṃ vyapasamaḥ sukhaṃ | yathā hi kuṃbhakāreṇa mṛtikābhājanaṃ kṛta | sarvam bhedanaparyantaṃ satvānāṃ jītan tathā | yathā
phalānāṃ kkānāṃ śaśvat patanato =

3 yaṃ || tathā saskārajāḥ satvā nitya maraṇato bhayaṃ || sarve kṣāyāṃ niścayāḥ patanāntā samucchrayāḥ | saṃyogaś ca viyogāntā maraṇāntaṃ hi jīvitaṃ || || idam
avoca

4 d bhagavānn ātamanās te ca bhikśavas te ca parṣado bhagavato bhāṣitam abhyanaṃdan ity āryānityatāsutraṃ samāptaṃ || || 8 ||

Appendix D

Transliteration of the PDP Manuscript

Anityatāsūtra. Manuscript witness held in the private collection of Mr. Padmajyoti Dhakhwa of Patan, folios 222b10–223b4. Yellow
paper, 11 lines, Nepalese akṣaras, undated (~nineteenth century).

222b9 ||

10 oṃ namaḥ sarvsjñāya || evaṃ mayā śrutam ekasmin samaye bhgavān* śrāvastyāṃ viharati sma || jetavane nāthapiṇḍasyārāme mahatā bhikṣusaṃghena sārddhaṃ
trayodaśabhir bhikṣuśataiḥ || tatra khalu bhagavān bhikṣūn āmantrayate sma || anityā bhikṣavaḥ sarva

11 saṃskārā adruvā anāśvāsikā vipariṇāmadharmānaḥ || ye yāvat bhikṣavaḥ sarvebhyaḥ saṃskārebhyo laṃ nivartum alaṃ viraktam alaṃ vimoktuṃ || sarveṣāṃ satvānāṃ
sarveṣāṃ bhūtānāṃ sarveṣāṃ prāṇīnāṃ āmaraṇāntaṃ hi jīvita maraṇaparyavasānāṃ nāsti

223a1 jātasyāmaraṇaṃ || ye pi te bhikṣavo gṛhapatayo mahāśālakulā brāhmaṇamahāśālakulā • āsāṃ mahādhano mahābhogāḥ
prabhūtamaṇimāniṣkamuktāvaiḍūryaśaṃkhaśilāpravālajātarūparajatavit*topakaraṇāḥ

2 prabhūtadhanadhānyakośakoṣṭāgārasannicayāḥ prabhūtadāsīdāsakarmakarapauruṣeyāḥ prabhūtamitrāmāt*yajñātisālohitās teṣām api maraṇāntaṃ jīvitaṃ
maraṇaparyavasānaṃ nāsti jātasyāmaraṇaṃ || ye pi te bhikṣavaḥ rājānaḥ kṣatriyāś ca

3 mūrddhābhiṣiktā jānapadaiśvaryyasthāmavīryam anuprāptā mahāntaṃ pṛthvīmaṇḍalam abhinirjityāvasanti teṣāṃ api maraṇāntaṃ hi jīvitaṃ maraṇaparyapasānaṃ
nāsti jātasyāmaraṇaṃ || ye pi te bhikṣavaḥ ṛṣayo vānaprasthāḥ pramuktaphalāhārā

4 ḥ pramuktaphalabhojinaḥ pramuktaphalena yāpaṃti teṣām api maraṇāntaṃ hi jīvitaṃ maraṇaparyavasānaṃ nāsti jātasyāmaraṇaṃ || ye pi te bhikṣavaḥ kāmāvacarā
devās cāturmahārajikā devās trayastriṃśā devā yāmā devās tuṣitā devā

5 nirmāṇaratayo devāḥ paranirmitavaśavarttino devās teṣāṃ api maraṇāntaṃ hi jīvitaṃ
maraṇaparyyavasānaṃ nāsti jātasyāmaraṇaṃ || ye pi te bhikṣavo rūpiṇo devāḥ prathamadhyānalābhino brahmakāyikā brahmapurohitā brahmapārṣadyā =

6 mahābrahmāṇaḥ dvitīyadhyānalābhinaḥ parītaśubhā apramāṇaśubhā ābhāsvarās tṛtīyadhyānalābhinaḥ
parītaśubhā apramāṇaśubhā śubhakṛtsnā caturthadhyānalābhino nabhrakāḥ punyaprasavā bṛhatphalā asaṃjñisatvā abṛhā atapāḥ

7 sudṛśāḥ sudarśanā akaniṣṭāś ca devās teṣām api maraṇāntaṃ hi jīvitaṃ maraṇaparyyavasānaṃ nāsti jātasyāmaraṇaṃ || ye pi te bhikṣava ārūpiṇo devā
ākāśānantyāyatanopagā vijñānānantyāyatanopagā ākiñcanyāya

8 tanopagā naivasaṃjñānāsaṃjñāyatanopagāś ca devās teṣām api maraṇāntaṃ hi jīvitaṃ maraṇaparyavasānaṃ nāsti jātasyāmaraṇaṃ || traidhātukam idaṃ || ye ’pi te
bhikṣavo ’rhantaḥ kṣīṇāsravāḥ kṛtakṛt*yāḥ kṛtakaraṇīyā apahṛtabhārā

9 anuprāptasvakārthāḥ parikṣīṇabhavasaṃyojanāḥ samyagājñāsuvimuktacit*tā sarvacetovaśiparamapāramitāprāptās teṣāṃ api kāya nikṣepaṇadharmāḥ || ye pi te
bhikṣavaḥ pratyekabuddhāḥ khaḍgaviṣāṇakalpā ekam ātmāna damayanti

10 ekam ātmāna śamayanti ekam ātmānaṃ parinirvāyanti teṣāṃ apy ayaṃ kāyo nikṣepaṇadharmaḥ || ye pi te bhikṣavas tathāgatā arhantaḥ samyaksaṃbuddhā
daśabalabalinaḥ udārārṣabhāḥ samyaksiṃhanādanādinaś caturvaiśāradya dharmā

11 rohaṇavaiśārdyaṃ || sarvadharmadeśanāvaiśāradyaṃ || nirvāṇamārgāvatāraṇavaiśāradyaṃ || āśravajñānaprahāṇavaiśāradyaṃ ||
viśadādṛḍhanārāyaṇasaṃhatakāyās teṣām apy kāyo nikṣepanadharmaḥ || tadyathāpi nāma bhikṣavaḥ kumbhakāra

223b1 kṛtāni bhāṇḍāni āmāmi vā pakvāni vā bhedanaparyyantāni bhedanaparyavasānāny evam eva bhikṣavaḥ sarveṣāṃ satvānāṃ sarveṣāṃ bhūtānāṃ sarveṣāṃ
prāṇināṃ āmaraṇāntaṃ hi jīvitaṃ maraṇaparyavasānaṃ nāsti jātasyāmaraṇṃ || idam avoca

2 d bhagavān idam ukto sugato hy athāparo vāca śāstā || anit*yā bata saṃskārā utpādavyayadhārmiṇaḥ || utpādya hi nirudhyante teṣāṃ vyapaśamaḥ sukhaṃ || yathā
hi kumbhakāreṇa mṛt*tikābhājanaṃ kṛtaṃ || sarvaṃ bhedanaparyantaṃ satvānāṃ jīvitaṃ tathā

3 yathā phalānāṃ pakvānāṃ śaśvat patanato bhayaṃ || tathā saṃskārajāḥ satvā nit*yaṃ maraṇato bhayaṃ || sarve kṣayāntā nicayāḥ patanāntā samucchrayāḥ ||
saṃyogāś ca viyogāntā maraṇāntaṃ hi jīvitaṃ || || idam avocad bhagavān āt*tmanā

4 s te ca bhikṣavas te ca parṣado bhagavato bhāṣitam abhyanandann ity āryānit*yatāsūtraṃ samāptaṃ || 596 ||

Appendix E

Sigla

[ ] square brackets
damaged akṣaras or uncertain readings (transliteration)

‹‹ ›› double pointed brackets
addition by scribe (transliteration)

{{ }} double curly brackets
deletion by scribe (transliteration)

○ small circle
circle symbol in ms. (transliteration)

※ crossed symbol
floral embellishment in ms. (transliteration)

‹ › pointed brackets
addition by editor (reconstruction)

{ } curly brackets
deletion by editor (reconstruction)

underline
emendation of individual akṣara by editor (reconstruction)

– asterisk

virāma

– higher dot

dot like punctuation in ms.

| vertical bar

daṇḍa

|| double vertical bar
double daṇḍa

’a

avagraha

= equal sign
filler mark

those in the assembly of Brahmā
brahmapārṣadya

Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍada’s Park
jetavanam anāthapiṇḍadasyārāmaḥ
rgyal bu rgyal byed kyi tshal mgon med zas sbyin gyi kun dga’ ra ba
རྒྱལ་བུ་རྒྱལ་བྱེད་ཀྱི་ཚལ་མགོན་མེད་ཟས་སྦྱིན་གྱི་ཀུན་དགའ་ར་བ།